Music Discovery First Look: Dua Lipa

Dark pop looks good on young songstress siren, Dua Lipa.

21 year old Dua Lipa is okay with you comparing her to Lana Del Rey, although she brushes off comparisons with a wave of her hand. There are strong similarities, like the fact they both don’t seem to be comfortable interacting with their audience at live shows, but musically, they are as different as a Pink Lady apple and a Red Delicious. Although, with 500k followers on Instagram, she is definitely comfortable interacting over social media. Dark pop is nothing new to us, but it can come across as such when it is done well, and especially if the BBC is including her on their sound of 2016 list.

Londoner Lipa has been the talk of music industry from her performances at SXSW and Glastonbury and the release of “Be The One.” “Be The One” is ladened with pop and a bit of soul, resting on a pillow of dance beats. Her single off her impending album, “Blow Your Mind” has her discussing relationships and how some of us can’t or don’t want to be tamed. It’s got a short, high sounding delivery beginning with a basic indie beat dominated by banging drums. The chorus is heavy on synths. Dua does well with the flow and the rap in the verses and it gives us a bit more then just standard bubblegum pop. All the lyrics come from personal experiences, looking to be as authentic as possible. Poised to be the next breakout star of 2017, it seems she is well on her way.

Allison got her big break in the music industry by writing for MTV/Vh1 where she interviewed everyone from Prince, to Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Blink 182 and many more. From there she started Hyperactive Music Magazine that went national. Shaw then produced several big festivals and went to work for Rachael Ray’s Entertainment company. Shaw started Manic Monkee MGMT which manages bands and does brand strategy for all kinds of brands in music/tech/consumer products and aligns brands with events. The company also produces events. Shaw is also on the Board Of Directors for non-profit music charity Sweet Relief. Follow her on Twitter at @manicmonkee.